


Big Bright Beautiful World

by NightwingDiva



Category: Batman - All Media Types, DCU
Genre: Batman Imagine, Bruce Wayne Imagine, F/M, Reader Insert
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-01
Updated: 2017-07-01
Packaged: 2018-11-21 22:44:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 4,723
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11367171
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NightwingDiva/pseuds/NightwingDiva
Summary: Batman sets out to rescue you, the princess of Luma, from the League of Assassins, though his reasons for doing so are more personal that he lets on.





	1. Chapter 1

With a small sigh you set the story book you’d been reading on the table beside your bed. You run your hand across the cover, taking in the familiar ridges on the cover and outlining the title with your fingertips. Rapunzel. How many times had you read this story? Or any of the stories in your room for that matter?

There was no way of counting anymore. All you know is that they bring you comfort. They had their troubling parts, but as a whole, they bring you hope. Hope that one day, you’ll be able to leave this suffocating place. The League of Assassins have been holding you captive for more than twenty years, ever since your parents, the King and Queen of Luma, had made a poor political policy. The League took you as payment for their mistake, and held you captive in a secluded tower, dangling your life over your parents’ heads as motivation for their decisions.

Though you weren’t the most important pawn in the League’s game of chess, they still watched everything you did. They allowed you story books, writing utensils, and a few sad instruments to entertain yourself with, but most of your life had been spent in solitude.

And you longed for more.

You missed your family.

You dreamed of freedom.

There was once a time when you weren’t in this particular tower. About ten years ago, Luma had been involved in a severe conflict, and Ra’s decided to bring you to the heart of the league for “observation.” Or at least that’s what they told you.

It didn’t take much eavesdropping to figure out that Ra’s was fully prepared to fulfil his promise of killing you should your parents move a single toe out of line. And it’s difficult to kill a captive princess when she’s hundreds if not thousands of miles away.

It had been a very dark six months for you, never knowing if each day would be your last. They didn’t permit you to speak to anyone but your immediate guards, lest you manage to con your way out of captivity. But that didn’t stop you from finding other ways of distracting yourself.

Every day you watched from your bedroom balcony as the assassin initiates sparred with one another. It was exciting, hearing the sharp cling of metal against metal as swords collided. One initiate in particular showed impressive potential. He was an excellent fighter with both the sword and the hand. But where others gave their all, he showed restraint.

You never learned the young man’s name, but you heard others speak of him. Apparently he was a wealthy man from a city in America, and he was one of the best initiates the League had ever seen. The   
fact that he held back in combat all but infuriated Ra’s, but the man didn’t care. He had his own code of honor. Why he sought out the League, you never knew, as the gossip among guards and servants often proved to be faulty.

Eventually you managed to steal glances at him while your guards escorted you from place to place. Sometimes he would meet your gaze, and his piercing blue eyes seemed to stop your heart and hold your breath. Why did he affect you this way? Was it because he was the only person in ten years who showed any form of kindness to you? Or was it just because he was a handsome face who gave you a glimmer of attention?

Either way, you doubted that he would remember you at this point. Ten years is a long time for a nameless face to stay in memory. He wouldn’t know that sometimes you still think about his gaze, or how you saw a softness within his hardened expression. That sometimes thinking about him gave you just a little bit of hope. He stood against Ra’s. So could you.

You shake your head as if it will cause the man’s face to disappear from your mind. You slowly make your way to the only window in your room listening as each step echoes across the cold, stone walls.   
The rock framing the window is warm from the sunlight, and you press your hand against the rough surface in the hopes that the warmth will somehow brighten your mind. For a moment it does. For a moment you feel hope that one day you will be free. But the warmth is only on the surface. Underneath that initial happiness is a cold stone that will never be shaken.

You want to be hopeful, you really do. But with each passing day, the sun seems to shine a little less.

Perhaps that’s why you read the same stories over and over again. You want the promises they give you.

Your hope.

Your family.

Your White Knight.

As you stare at the vast mountains surrounding your prison, you can’t help but wonder and dream about the day that you finally find your freedom.


	2. Chapter 2

“We’ve just received an urgent distress call from Luma.” Clark says to the rest of the team. They’d received the message less than an hour ago, and he immediately called in the rest of the Justice League after hearing it. “The King and Queen are dead.”

Mutters fill the Watchtower upon hearing the news as most of the members express some amount of shock. The King and Queen are—were—relatively young and hadn’t shown any signs of illness. Sure the country had its fair share of conflicts, but nothing that should result in an assassination.

“Dead? How?” Barry is the first to direct his questions at Clark.

“Car accident. Apparently their vehicle malfunctioned. We aren’t sure if it was a freak accident or if foul play from another party was involved. But as far as the country’s citizens know, the King and Queen are still in critical condition. The Palace hasn’t announced the country’s loss yet; they want to get the next heir in line first.”

“What do they need from us?” Diana asks.

“Apparently there is a Princess of Luma. She was sent off to boarding school when she was eight years old.”

“So how old is she now? Like fourteen?” Oliver asks.

“Ruling a country is a lot of responsibility for one so young.” Diana says and Oliver nods in agreement.

“No. She was sent away twenty years ago. At least that’s what the public knows. In reality she was taken as part of a war agreement. Our job is to get her back safely. The current governing already has a noble lined up to marry her so that they can begin ruling immediately.”

“Why does this matter to us?” Bruce is still seated at the table swirling the coffee in his mug, apparently uninterested in the issue. “It’s not our job to get wrapped up in government affairs.”

“Why so heartless, Batsy?” Hal shoots Bruce an incredulous look and Barry nods in agreement.

“A country just lost its rulers and we just learned that their heir is a captive. Some sympathy would be appreciated.” Diana and Bruce exchange a cold stare before Bruce finally stands up to speak.

“I have sat and listened to you all talk about this ‘distress call,’ but I have yet to hear anything that calls for the Justice League’s assistance. This is a domestic, governmental issue, and in order to remain unbiased for the greater good of humanity, we cannot afford to get involved.” Bruce turns and walks toward the door. “Don’t call me for help unless you find a reason that I should get involved.”

“I’ve got one for you.” Clark says. “She was taken by the League of Assassins.”

Bruce stops in his tracks.

“What?”

“You heard me. She was taken by Ra’s al Ghul to both punish the King and Queen and control their actions. Now that the King and Queen are dead, they don’t have much of a reason to keep her alive. Our job isn’t to help this country, Bruce. It’s to save this woman’s life. You of all people should know how the League can be.”

“What’s her name?” Barry speaks up in an attempt to break some of the palpable tension between Bruce and Clark.

“Y/N. Y/N, Princess of the Kingdom of Luma.”

Bruce’s mind suddenly gets thrown back in time. He recalls the days he spent training with the League. He thinks past the countless hours of exhaustive physical training and mental games. He had heard talk of a captive princess when he had first arrived, but he hadn’t offered a second thought to who or why. He was there for a reason. He couldn’t afford distraction.

He remembers the day one of the other initiates pointed out that she never failed to watch Bruce spar in the training grounds, and ever since that day he had noticed her everywhere. He remembers seeing a lovely young lady about his age being escorted about the halls of the League’s fortress. It had been a time of heightened security, and you were never allowed to speak. Though your guards were never as rough or cruel with you as they were the initiates, you were still treated harshly.

Nevertheless you always smiled at him when you passed one another in the cold stone halls.

How could he have forgotten?

“—plan of action.” Bruce resumes focus as Clark is discussing how to go about recovering the princess.

“I’m going.” Bruce says. “I’ll save her.”

“What? What happened to Mr. ‘We shouldn’t get involved’? What changed in the past five minutes?” Hal says, and the rest of the team expresses similar questions.

“I know her. I—I remember her.” Bruce says through clenched teeth. He should have saved you sooner. He should have remembered. He turns for the door once again.

“Hey!” Clark runs up to Bruce and puts a hand on his shoulder. “At least wait until we come up with a plan.”

“No.” Bruce shakes Clark’s hand off and walks out. “I’m going alone.”

He still can’t believe he forgot the one thing that kept him sane during his training.

His light in the darkness.


	3. Chapter 3

“Master Bruce, are you certain that you should be doing this on your own? The League of Assassins are a vicious group.” Alfred attempts to bring Bruce to his senses, even though he’s only speaking through the communicator screen on the Batwing’s computer.

“At the moment she’s still a political prisoner.” Bruce doesn’t take his eyes from the sky, and is speaking about the matter as if it were a simple business transaction. “Since they don’t know about the current situation in Luma, she’s still being held at an external base. It won’t be as heavily guarded, and this is a simple recovery mission. I won’t be taking any more risks than what are necessary.” He glances down at the navigation system and notes that he isn’t too much farther away from the location Clark gave him. There’s a noticeable gap in the conversation before Alfred speaks again.

“Just… Be careful, Master Bruce. Make sure young Master Dick doesn’t have to endure the loss of another father.”

Bruce looks up at Alfred’s heavy words to see the butler holding back his emotions. “I will, Alfred. Where is Dick, anyway?”

“I believe he went to Miss Gordon’s house after school today. He should be home in an hour or so.”

“Alright. Make sure he actually does his math homework. He’s got a test coming up and I’ve noticed him spending more time in the gym that with his books.”

“Of course, Master Bruce.” Alfred makes to hang up.

“And Alfred.” Alfred stops and looks back at the screen with a slightly raised eyebrow. “Take care of yourself.”

Alfred nods and hangs up the call, and Bruce leans back into the Batwing’s seat with a sigh. He’d been working on the best plan to get in and out of the fortress quickly and safely, but the options are limited.

“What’s wrong, Bruce?” A chipper voice asks from behind Bruce, and the plane would have taken a short dive were it not for autopilot. Dick peeks around Bruce’s seat. “Sorry I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“What are you doing here?” Bruce turns to face Dick. “You’re supposed to be in Gotham.”

“I’m here to help you!” Dick says.

“No.” Bruce doesn’t bother to hide his annoyance, and he turns back around to man the computer.

“Come on, Bruce! We’re partners! The Dynamic Duo! We stick together like Velcro. OH!” A flash of red and yellow flashes in the corner of Bruce’s eye as Dick jumps in excitement. “I’m the fuzzy side and you’re the spikey!”

“What did I do to deserve this?” Bruce wonders aloud. Luckily they are close enough to the base that he can take the plane out of autopilot and occupy himself with landing safely on the ground.

Dick on the other hand doesn’t have any reason to stop talking to Bruce. He tells Bruce about how his day at school went and that he doesn’t need to study for his math test and he finished his math homework during his history class.

When Bruce lands the plane in a discrete location and gets out to prepare to infiltrate the base, Dick is two steps behind him, expressing how Bruce really should let him join him on this mission because he could need backup.

Finally Bruce spins around to face Dick, and the younger boy stops mid-sentence at his father’s sudden action. “For the last time, Dick. You are not coming.”

“Hey look! Youneedapal Avenue is straight ahead!” Dick points over Bruce’s shoulder at an imaginary road sign. When Bruce doesn’t break his glare Dick sighs. “Come on, Bruce. It’s dangerous to go alone. Let me help.”

“Dick, the League is incredibly dangerous. I don’t want you getting hurt.” Bruce places a hand on Dick’s shoulder. “Please. Just stay here with the plane.”

Dick doesn’t say anything. He just hangs his head in silent understanding, and Bruce takes this action as a defeat as he turns to head toward the fortress.

Bruce doesn’t see the sly smirk on Dick’s face when he looks up again.

Since when has Robin ever listened to Batman?


	4. Chapter 4

You slide your copy of Sleeping Beauty back in its place on the bookshelf with all of your other fairy tales. With a sigh you flop onto your bed. What kind of life is this? Sitting in a guarded room in a tower reading the same stories over and over again has grown dull. Would you ever get to leave? What if someone swooped in and stole you away from this dreadful place?

As soon as your mind wanders to the possibilities of a rescuer, a rush of wind and a soft thud cause you to glance toward your window.

Where a tall dark figure is suddenly blocking the sunlight into the room.

You bolt upright with a startled yelp and grab the hairbrush from your nightstand and hold it in front of you like a weapon. “Who are you and what do you want?”

“Come with me.” His voice is deep and menacing, and when he takes a step forward you scramble further back on your bed.

“No! Do you think I’m stupid or something? Even if you’re not here to kidnap me yourself the assassins will kill both of us before we escape. Plus, you never answered the ‘Who are you?’ question. What are you supposed to be, anyway? What’s with the pointy ears on the cowl thing?” You gesture at his vaguely bat-like ensemble with your hairbrush.

The man gives a heavy sigh and walks closer to you. “I’m Batman.”

Just then your bedroom door busts open as three assassins make their way inside, weapons ready to attack.

“And right now we need to go.” He picks you up with one arm and runs back to the window as the assassins lunge at where you had been sitting on the bed.

“Hey, wait! What are you—” Your question is cut off by your own scream as this Batman jumps out of your window. When you notice the ground rushing toward you, you wrap your arms around his neck and tuck your face into his shoulder, and his grip around your waist tightens.

But then suddenly your feet are on the ground. And you’re not dead. At least not yet.

But you’re afraid you will be soon.

The two of you have landed in the main courtyard, and Talia al Ghul is standing in front of you.

“So nice you see you again, Beloved.” She purrs. You raise an eyebrow slightly at the man by your side. Talia makes it sound like they are a couple. But if they’re a couple why is he not on the side of the assassins?

“Talia.” His voice sound even more menacing than before, and you suddenly understand that they are, in fact, not an item. But everything in Talia’s body language suggests otherwise. “This obsession of yours has to stop.”

Talia takes a sultry step forward, and Batman’s form stiffens. “It is not only my obsession, my love. It is the will of my father.”

“Yeah, well, your father’s a creep.” You say out loud before you can stop yourself. Immediately you regret speaking, as Talia’s attention suddenly turns from Batman to you with a sickeningly threatening smile.

“I see you found our little caged bird.” She glances back at Batman. “What would the Bat possibly want with our bird?”

“She’s a captive, Talia. That shouldn’t need an explanation.”

“Hmm. What if I make you a deal?” Talia smirks. “I’ll let the caged bird free if the Bat takes her place.”

“That’s not an option.” Batman reaches into his belt and pulls out what appear to be bat shaped shuriken. You look around and notice that dozens of assassins are closing in and circling up around the three of you. You cling closer to Batman’s side as he takes a fighting stance against Talia.

“Of course you want to play this game.” Talia’s flirtatious behavior is suddenly soured by a scowl, and the glint in her eye sends fear down your spine. “I will have you one day, my love. Just wait and see.”

Apparently just noticing how many assassins are encircling the two of you, Batman pushes you behind him in a protective gesture. As if it will do any good. You close your eyes and lean against your ‘rescuer’ and try thinking of happy thoughts, like pink ponies and happy skies, in an attempt to push away the fear crawling up your throat.

But when you open your eyes and see the assassins lunging at you, your immediate thought is that you are going to die.

You don’t notice the chorus of dull thumps on the ground all around your feet until smoke pours out of dozens of small metal balls, quickly obscuring your vision in a white-gray cloud.

“RUN!” A new, young voice yells from beyond the smoke, and Batman sweeps you off your feet and soars through the air just as an assassin’s blade sticks in the ground where you had been standing.

Somehow under the cover of the chaos caused by the assassins and smoke, Batman lands out of the fortress grounds. When he lands on the ground he runs into the trees, all the while holding you in his arms.

A slight rustling startles you for a moment, and you think the assassins have caught up with you until a young boy in very colorful clothes starts running alongside you and Batman.

“Robin, I thought I told you to wait with the plane.” Batman says with a side glance at the boy.

“Yeah, well.” When you glance at the boy you see a mischievous smile on his face that tells you this kind of thing happens frequently. “I chose not to listen.”


	5. Chapter 5

“Can you put me down now?” You ask the large man who just managed to rescue you from the League of Assassins. Batman has been carrying you for what feels like forever, but based on how fast he and Robin are actually running, you are slightly relieved you don’t have to physically keep up. But it’s the principle of being the damsel in distress that has you wanting to run for yourself.

Batman doesn’t answer. He doesn’t even look at you. He doesn’t even respond when you make it to a small clearing and see a small black plane that looks like something out of a science fiction story. As you get closer you realize it’s much bigger than you thought it was.

“Hey!” You hit him lightly on his back. “You can put me down now!”

“I’ll put you down if you get in the plane.” He glances at you, and for some reason the look makes your blood simmer. However, he sets you on the ground before you respond one way or the other.

“I’ll get in that plane when you tell me why you’ve kidnapped me.” You straighten your back in an attempt to make you appear taller than you are, though it doesn’t really work.

“Kidnapped you? We rescued you!” Robin seems to pop out from behind Batman.

“As I recall, I didn’t want to leave. And Batman took it upon himself to forcefully remove me from my room. Kidnapping.” You give a contented nod on the last word.

“Princess, just get in the plane.” Batman says, and though his entire being radiates intimidation, you stand your ground.

“No! I have been a captive for almost all of my life, and I refuse to take another step without some kind of explanation!” You cross your arms in a huff to send your point home. “At the very least take off that ridiculous helmet.”

Robin steps forward and attempts to bargain with you. “Princess, please. We’re in a hurry. The league is—”

“No.” Batman extends his arm across Robin’s chest, cutting the younger boy off. He reaches up and places his hands on either side of his cowl. “If Her Highness so demands.”

When he takes off the helmet the air rushes out of your lungs.

It’s him.

The man who has given you so much hope stands in front of you.

But when he speaks again, his former charm fades away. “And since you’re so keen on answers, Princess,” the way he emphasizes your title simultaneously causes you to see red and want to hide in a hole, “we came to rescue you. The King and Queen of Luma are dead, and the Princess—you—has been lined up to marry a noble man to run the kingdom.”

Any breath left in your lungs falls away at this news. The parents you haven’t seen in twenty years are dead?

Instead of responding, you stare at the man in front of you in shock. His expression softens ever so slightly when he notices how much the news has broken you, and when he guides you toward the plane, you don’t object at all.

“Robin, set the coordinates for the safe house along the coast.” He says once you are buckled in. “The League will assume we are going directly to Luma. We need to throw them off.”

You barely register that you are going anywhere. You just stare into space and hold the tears in as you process the fact that the only family you have ever known is gone.  
___

“This is your room for the night.” Batman gestures to a cramped room with a single cot in the corner.

“Batman this is no place for a princess!” Robin hisses to his mentor.

“No, no. It’s perfect.” You flash a fake smile at the boy and walk in the room before grabbing the door handle. “Well, gentlemen, I bid thee goodnight.”

“Wait! Do you want me to tell you a bedtime story or something? Because I will!” Despite how much his smile brightens your heart, you want nothing more than to be alone right now.

“I said goodnight.” You mutter before shutting the door in their faces.

“She seems nice. I like her.” Dick says to the door that is now two inches from his nose. He turns around to find Bruce laying out their cots in the small space the safe house provides. He sits on one and takes his mask and cape off and looks over to see Bruce lying on his back and staring at the ceiling.

“Hey, Bruce.” Dick speaks in a soft and unusually serious voice. “If you could be anything what would you be?”

Bruce turns his head to look at his son. “What?”

“I mean if you could have been anything but Batman, what would you choose?”

“I wouldn’t.”

“Come on, Bruce! What would you pick?” Dick slides under the cot’s blanket and looks at Bruce. When Bruce answers by facing the ceiling again, Dick speaks. “Man you are no fun at all. What do you have against the world anyway? Y/N didn’t deserve to hear about her parents like that!”

“I don’t have a problem with the world! It’s the world that seems to have a problem with me!” Bruce faces Dick, and the sudden action causes the younger boy to jump in his bed. “And life isn’t sunshine and rainbows! It’s best she learn that now before becoming queen.”

“But, Bruce, that doesn’t mean you can’t try to make it as happy as you can.” The two sit in silence for a few moments, and since Bruce didn’t reject Dick’s words, the boy asks his question again. “Isn’t there anything else you would want to be?”

“Anything but Batman?” Bruce asks the question to himself. “In a different world maybe, just maybe I’d be a real hero. A hero like the ones in the stories. I’d defend a kingdom with honor, a shield and sword at my side.”

Dick sits up and looks at Bruce, who for the first time in Dick’s memory has a genuine happiness on his face. Bruce looks at Dick before he continues. “Or maybe I could have been a poet and write myself a different story. One that tells of hope and glory while wiping away the lies. I’d write words with wit and perfect timing. I’d show the world my heart and confess the things I yearn and be praised for it.  
“I used to think I could be something like that, Dick. In my childhood. Before my parents died. And then I learned better. We all learn.” Bruce looks at Dick with a sad smile. “An orphan always hides his true self. An orphan always stays in the dark and all alone.”

Bruce turns away again and lets his mind wander back to his dreams. “But if I could change all of that, of course I’d be a hero, and I would scale a tower to save a princess and carry her away. But a beast would be standing guard, and I’d somehow overwhelm it.” Dick smiles slightly as he notices the light of hope in Bruce’s eyes. “I’d get the girl and take a breath as we lock eyes and speak of love. We’d   
share a kiss. I’d have a hero’s ending. A perfect happy ending. A big bright beautiful world.”

When Bruce looks at Dick again his old cold exterior has returned, and his words pull down a weight heavier than Dick would have thought possible. Dick realizes how alone Bruce actually is.

“But not for me.”  
___

You lie in bed with a tear stained pillow as the thoughts tumble in your head. Orphan. You are now an orphan.

But you will also be a queen. You can’t show weakness. You have to show them strength, even if it means faking every day of your life. The thoughts strangle your mind.

An orphan will always hide. An orphan will always stay in the dark and all alone.

But you have to have hope. Your parents may be gone, but you can still dream. If you’ve learned anything from your stories it’s that there are rules and strictures. There will always be a happy ending.

One day you’ll find your White Knight.

You will find your perfect happy ending.

Because that’s how it should be.


End file.
